Hearing God's Voice | Teach Me How To Pray (Class 4)

Whether you are new to faith or you've been following Jesus for a lot of years, learning to pray changes everything. Hi, my name is Michael, and today we are talking about hearing God's voice. God did not just speak back in the Bible days. He still speaks to each one of us today. He's still alive, he's still active, he's still speaking, and he's still doing miracles on this earth. But I've found that a lot of Christians struggle with the confidence that God actually speaks to them individually. But after today, I believe that struggle is going to be over. God still speaks. He wants you to know how to discern the difference between his voice, what their voice sounds like, and even what the voice of the enemy sounds like. Because you are available to hearing God's voice, he will give you a guide, and today this is going to teach you how to pray and hear God's voice in a brand new way. Here are three ways I have found that God speaks. Number one, God speaks through Scripture. If you've ever had a thought that lines up with the Word of God, it could be that you've been reading your Bible, and that's two thumbs up from your pastor, and your thoughts are starting to change or transform into his thoughts. Or it could be a step further that God may be giving you in a real-time revelation of his Word, in the moment that you need it most. John 1.1, it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And watch this, and the Word was God. So if the Word is God, then what better way to hear God than through who he is? Scripture is the most direct language of the voice of God. I'm going to say that one more time, because that was good. Scripture, the Holy Bible, is the most direct language of the voice of God, and his voice will never contradict his Word. That's why Hebrews 4.12 says, For the Word of God is a lie and active, sharper than any

double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitude of the heart. My wife could call my name in the middle of a packed crowd, and I would know instantly who it was because I know her voice. When you know what Scripture says, it gets easier and easier to identify God's voice in the crowd that is so noisy, in the crowd of culture that is so backwards, in the crowd of your own thoughts. God's Word is the thing that you need to recognize. Numbers 23.19, it says, God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should have to repent. Has he said it, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? Don't ever forget that God speaks through Scripture. The second way God speaks is God speaks through his Spirit, because the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you. He often speaks to us with what feels like promptings and nudges. You may just get a sense of peace or an uneasy tension surrounding a decision or an action step. Like, you need to go talk to that specific person now, or you need to go enroll in school for this semester, or don't take that business deal even though it looks perfect. Have you ever said, something just told me, it's not something, it's someone. It's the Holy Spirit. And that's why 1 Corinthians 2.10 says, but it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit, for his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. Think about how much God wants to speak to you. God doesn't just want to say something, he wants to tell you secrets. There are things he wants to speak specifically to you that won't happen on the earth until you hear it. The Spirit knows what we need more than we know what we need.

He also knows the way we should go more than we know the way that we should go. The Holy Spirit also speaks to us through convictions. He comes to confront our sin. Now, he's not going to condemn us, but he does want to confront us because the sin inside of us is keeping us disconnected from him. That's why John 16.8 says, and when he comes, he's talking about the Spirit, he will convict the world of its sin and God's righteousness and of coming judgment. And then if you go to John 16.13, it says, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears. He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. You want to know another way to know if it's Him? If it's the Spirit, it's always the truth. The devil's native tongue is lie, but the Spirit's native tongue is the truth. Conviction should help guide and empower you, not make you feel like you're stuck or unworthy. When the Spirit convicts us, it should produce transformation in our lives. And it's the way that God speaks to each one of us. Remember, God speaks through His Spirit. The third and final way that God speaks that we're gonna cover today is God speaks through your squad, your friends, your tribe, your group, the people that you are surrounded by. God uses them to be His voice to you. I can remember when some of our dearest friends were in the hardest relationship spot they had ever been in, and they thought that their marriage was over. So they decided to tell us they were getting a divorce. And at that moment, our squad got together and told them, nope, you are not getting a divorce. You guys haven't tried everything that God puts out in His Word

to make this work, because marriage works 100% of the time if you do it God's way. And because they had the right squad around them, they have now celebrated over a decade of marriage. Their relationship is flourishing and it's blessing people all over the world. It was God's design for us as their squad to speak on His behalf to them. You need different types of people in your squad. You need godly counsel in your squad because the Bible tells us there is wisdom in the multitude of counselors. I have a therapist in my squad. I talk to him every other week so that I can get a perspective that maybe I don't have. I have a wife in my squad, and Natalie is the one person that I can go to when I'm tripping, and she can help me discern the Spirit of God. I have spiritual leaders like Bishop Gary McIntosh and Tim Ross and my actual parents. I want you to understand that you need people in your squad because they many times are the voice of God to you. And when you're confused and when you don't understand, you need to have friends around you who believe in God and believe in you because at that moment, some of the greatest moments of my direction and transformation has come through God using somebody close to me to speak a word in season that changed my life.

So in wrapping up this whole thing, does God still speak? Yes, He does. God speaks through Scripture. He speaks by His Spirit, and He speaks through your squad. But we grow in confidence by learning to discern His voice, and God's voice always aligns with Scripture. God's voice brings peace, not confusion, and God's voice ignites faith, not fear. But wait, there's more. Prayer isn't just talking to God. Prayer is also listening to God. Have you ever known someone who never let you talk? They just wanted a relationship where they talked and talked and talked and talked and didn't have the ability or the space for anybody else to give input? In the same way with God, how can you have a relationship with Him if you never give Him space and opportunity to speak back to you? I wanna say this respectfully, but some of you need to be quiet. Stop talking. Shut up. So that God can speak to you. After you ask Him for something, make room for Him to give revelation. Make space for God. Set the scene for silence. Be still in solitude.

Ask God questions and wait. God is always speaking. We are just many times too busy and distracted by all the noise around us to hear the frequency of His voice. I'm asking you to tune in. See, I'm old enough to know when you were in the car, you could turn the radio on and what you had to do was tune in to the right frequency to be able to hear a clear sound. And just a little bit off, there was so much static. But if you just tuned in to the right frequency, it came in crystal clear. What God is saying is I wanna speak to you, but tune into me. In first Kings, Elijah needed God to speak to him. And God was passing by, the Bible tells us in chapter 19, verse 11, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain where Elijah was at. But the Bible says the Lord was not in the windstorm. And after the windstorm. an earthquake happened. But the Bible says the Lord wasn't in the earthquake. In verse 12 said, and after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was a sound of a gentle whisper. And we find out that's when Elijah heard God.

God was in the whisper. And that's what Elijah responded to. Maybe God isn't shouting in this season. Maybe there are some times where God is whispering. Are you listening? The only way that you can hear the whisper in this chaotic and noisy world is to sit, be still, stay silent. That's why Psalms 46.10 says, be still and know that I am God. I talked about hearing the voice of God in week two of a series called Charged Up. And I'm encouraging you to go back and watch that series on YouTube because I believe it will help you. And I want you to take an action step. Now, this may be a little unconventional, but I want to teach you a new way to pray today. I want you to sit in silence and think about God. Now, I know you may have been taught to just tear down heaven and pray, but what if God wants to give you a new play today to connect with his presence? Be available to God. Just try it. Sit in a room or outside or at a quiet space in your car. Sit in silence. What you will notice is your awareness of the noises that have always been there heightens. You just couldn't hear them until you stayed quiet enough. You'll notice the sounds of the air conditioning,

the birds chirping, the sound of the wind, the car engines on the road. You might even notice your own breathing. In the same way, if you sit still and silent long enough, you can tune your ear to the frequency that God wants to speak to you. Just try it. Set a timer for three minutes. And if you have to, I want you to just pick a word that reminds you of God, Father, Abba, Jehovah. And anytime your mind starts to wonder on, what am I gonna eat after this? Is three minutes up? What do I have to do the rest of the day? Just say that word, Abba, and focus back on God. And I just want you to think, what would it look like if you were just available to God? You can speak if you want to, and if not, I'm just enjoying this time thinking about you. You will be amazed what God begins to speak to you, tell you, bring back to your remembrance, and even challenge you on. This new way of praying has revolutionized my life, and some of my greatest breakthroughs have come by just sitting with God and saying, I'm available to you. I just wanna let you know, God wants to speak directly to you. Will you make room to listen? In closing today, I wanna pray that your life is marked by what you hear from God.

God, I thank you for my brother and sister. I thank you that they do hear your voice, and a stranger they will not listen to. I thank you that scripture will come alive to them, Father God. I thank you that your spirit, Father, will not be quenched, but you will speak so clearly in the promptings and the nudgings. And Father, I thank you that you're surrounding them with the right squad to be a reminder of your voice to them. God, I thank you that silence wouldn't be scary, but would be a place that they practice your presence. We will hear you in everything, and we give you glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus' name, amen. I'm so proud of you, and if you have finished this class, there's so much more information to help you on the journey of discipleship. This is your season to grow and go forward. I'm so thankful for your life. I'm so excited in how your prayer life is growing and expanding right now. I'm telling you, you will never be the same. Get ready to live a transformed prayer life.